Process of safely manufacturing and packaging torpedoes and the like



Jan. 2-8, 1930. ca. J. J. CLARK 1,744,751

PROCESS OF SAFELY MANUFACTURING AND PACKAGING TORFEDOES AND THE LIKE Filed Apri 2. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z i i Inventor George llClar K bymwkm G. J. J. CLARK 1,744,751

PROCESS OF SAFELY MANUFACTURING AND PACKAGING TORPEDOES AND THE LIKE Jan. 28, 1930.

Filed April 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 28, 1930 GEORGE J. J. CLARK, OF VIHITMA'N, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL FIRE- WORKS, INC., OF WEST HANOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS PROCESS OF SAFELY MANUFACTURING AND PAGKAG ING TORPEDOES AND THE LIKE Application filed April 2, 1929. Serial No, 351,862".

This invention relates to improvements in processes of manufacturing explosives comprising a shell or casing containing oxidizing and reducing materials intimately mixed with a frictional material operable upon impact to detonate the same.

' More particularly the invention relates to a process of safely manufacturing toy torpedoes which comprises an oxidizing material, such as potassium chlorate, a reducing material such as sulphur which also may contain antimony or some other more active reducing material than the sulphur, and a frictional material such as gravel.

In the manufacture of explosives of the character above specified, which are very sensitive, the materials have usually heretofore been or refully mixed and introduced by hand into the shells or casings, the casings then closed and packed by hand in sawdust, or other suitable resilient material, in paper bags or cartons. Such manufacture and pack aging of explosives has been exceedingly laborious and under the best of conditions somewhat unsafe as the accidental detonation of one of the torpedoes, or other explosives, is likely to explode the mass of torpedoes or mixed materials in its vicinity.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and convenient process for manufacturing torpedoes and other explosives of like character in quantities in which the hazard of manufacture will be eliminated and by which the rate of production may be very greatly increased.

The process of manufacture may be broad ly described as comprising loading the oxidizing material, the frictional material and the reducing material in stratified relation into a rupturable shell, closing the shell, holding a multiplicity of the shells in restraint from impactand so agitating the shells thus held as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells, or, more specifically as applied to the manufacture of toy torpedoes the process comprises loading oxidizing material, frictional material and reducing material into a rupturable shell in stratified relation with the stratum of frictional material preferably separating the strata of reducing and oxidizing material, packaging a plurality of said shells, each enveloped in resilient material, in packages for sale or shipment, and thereafter so agitating the package as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells.

The packages, containing the loaded shells with the materials in stratified relation in the shells, may be either retail packages such as cartons sold over the counter, or boxes containing aplurality of cartons or shipping cases containing a plurality of cartons, and agitation may be imparted either to the cartons, to the boxes, or the shipping cases, or to a plurality of shipping cases, as may be desirable or convenient.

Preferably, however, to increase the rate of manufacture the packages are not subject to agitation until they are finally enclosed in shipping cases, and desirably a plurality of such shipping cases are agitated simultaneously. The agitation may be performed in any desirable manner, preferably by rotation or tumbling.

Suitable illustrative apparatus for performing the process herein described is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a view, mainly in longitudinal section and broken away, of an apparatus for clamping a multiplicity of shells in position to be filled, and also illustrating means for slightly expanding the upper ends of the shells;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the shell-clamping apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, with a filling board superimposed thereupon by means of which a stratum of material may be substantially of the shells;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view showing a shell clamped in the holder and containing a single stratum of material loaded into it;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a shell containing a stratum of each of two materials;

Fig. 5 is a similar View showing the shell containing three strata of oxidizing, frictional and reducing materials, with the frictional material intermediate of the strata of oxidizing and reducing materials; I Fig. 6 is a detail view showing one of the shells with the head thereof closed and crimped and still retained in the shell-clamping apparatus with other holding sockets of the clamping apparatus empty;

Fig. 7 illustrates a package, such as a cellular carton located directly beneath the clamping board illustrated in Fig. 6 and showing the manner in which the loaded shells may be deposited into individual cellular compartments of the package or carton, the shells being enveloped in a resilient material such as sawdust;

Fig. 8 is an illustration of a carton having superimposed sets of cellular compartments;

Fig. 9 is an illustration of a shipping case containing a number of cartons; and,

Fig. 10 is a view of a form of agitating or tumbling apparatus containing a plurality of shipping cases. V

The apparatus for performing the process, which is illustrated in the accompanying simultaneously loaded into all drawings, comprises a shell-clamping apparatus adapted to support a multiplicity of torpedo shells.

The preferred form of torpedo shells'illustrated herein comprises cylindrical rupturable tubes 1, of any suitable material such as paper. The lower end of each tube is provided with a disk 2 forming a head, which is held therein, by crimping the lower end 3 of the tube. Desirably the upper end 4 of the tube is slightly expanded in order to insure the deposition of all of the material of a charge into the tube. This may be accomplished by any sort of expanding tool, such as a conical-shaped mandrel 5, or a plurality of such mandrels, so assembled as to expand simultaneously all the tubes which are held in the clamping apparatus.

The clamping apparatus illustrated here in comprises upper and lower boards 6 and 7 of suitable thickness which are spaced apart and secured in a suitable rectangular frame comprising end members 8 and .9 and side members 10. The side members desirably are provided with longitudinally extending grooves 11 in which a central clamping member 12 is slidably mounted. One of the end members 9 may be provided with a recess 13 to permit the introduction of the clamping member 12. The upper and lower boards 6 and 7 are provided with vertically alined cylindrical apertures 14 and 15 adapted rather loosely to receive the shells 1, and the clamping member 12 is provided with slightly larger apertures 16 positioned to register with the The cylindrical shells are then introduced into the apertures and the screw 17 rotated to cause the clamping board 12 to clamp the shells therein. YVhile in this assembled relation the lower ends of-the shells may be conveniently crimped'and the disks 2 forming the lower heads introduced as illustrated, or if desired the lower heads may be inserted into the tubes and, the ends crimped before the tubes are assembled in the clamping apparatus.

The shells may be substantially simultaneously loaded in any desirable manner. In the illustrative construction shown in Fig.2 this is accomplished by superimposing upon the shell-clamping apparatus a filling board 19 which is mounted in a rectangular frame 20 adapted to rest upon the upper edges of the frame members 8, 9, and 10 of the clamping apparatus. The filling board is provided with a multiplicity of apertures 21 disposed in the same arrangement as the shell-holding aper tures in the clamping apparatus, and a slide 22 which is mounted in' suitable grooves or guideways 23 in the frame 20 closely underlies the'lower face of the filling board 19.

A mass of material, such as the chlorate, the gravel or the sulphur and other reducing materials, may be poured upon the filling board 19 and moved or stricken over it so as to fill each of the apertures 21 in the filling board completely full of the material 2 1. The filling board will then be superimposed upon the shell-clamping apparatus and the slide 22 withdrawn, thus permitting the charge con tained in each of the apertures to drop into the-shell which registers therewith. Obviously filling boards of different thicknesses may be employed to measure the desired charge of each material.

The several materials may be thus loaded into the shells in Stratified relation. Preferably one of the active explosive materials. such as the oxidizing material or the reducing material, is first loaded into the shells, then the frictional material, and finally the other active material so that the strataof active materials are separated by the inert friclular cartons27 similar to those which areemployed for packing eggs which comprise superimposed cellular partitions 28 separated by partitions 29.

In packaging the torpedoes in cartons the torpedo-clamping apparatus may be set upon the top of one or more boxes as may be required, a layer of sawdust, or other resilient material having first been deposited in the bottom of the cells; the clamping board 12 then moved lengthwise to release the loaded torpedoes, thereby permitting them to drop into the respective cells. Sawdust may then be poured into the cells to completely envelop the torpedoes.

The partition 29 may then be placed upon the filled compartments and another set of cellular partitions superimposed upon the partition 29 and the cells thereof filled in like manner. This operation may be continued until the entire carton, or other container, is filled.

The cartons thus filled preferably are sealed and constitute packages ready for retail sale.

After the packages have been completed they may be subjected individually or in groups to such agitation as may be required thoroughly to mix the materials contained in the respective shells, so that when the torpedoes are removed from the package and thrown against a rigid object they will be practically certain to burst upon impact.

Desirably each carton may contain thirtysix compartments, or one-fourth gross of torpedoes, as illustrated in Fig. 8. Ordinarily a number of cartons are assembled in a wooden box or shipping case for shipment or storage, as illustrated in Fig. 9 which shows twenty cartons thus assembled in a wooden shipping case.

When the cartons containing the torpedoes are thus assembled, agitation to produce the mixing of the materials in the torpedo shells, is delayed until the case is filled and the case is then subjected to suitable agitation by rotation, tumbling, or otherwise, as may be required thoroughly to mix the materials in the respective torpedoes. The shipping cases may be thus agitated individually or in groups.

Desirably a number of such cases are agitated or tumbled at the same time. A suitable machine for performing this function is illustrated in Fig. 10 and comprises a tumbling machine having a preferably rectangular barrel comprising a rectangular bottom plate 31 with corner members 32 of angle iron extending upwardly therefrom and bound together at their upper end by plates 33 to provide a rectangular receptacle. Suitable brace rods 34 may be extended diagonally of each side and vertical and horizontal plates 35 and 36 may also be provided to form a very rigid structure. A gear 37 is fixedly secured to the base plate 31 and is rotatably journalled in a suitable tubular bearing 38 which is pivot-ally mounted upon a transverse shaft 39 of a stand 40 having a base 41 which may be suitably anchored to the floor.

The bearing member 38 desirably is provided with an arcuate worm rack 42 adapted to be engaged by a worm 43 upon a shaft 44 mounted in a suitable bearing 45 carried by the stand 40. The shaft 44 may be provided with a hand Wheel 46 which when rotated will cause the worm 43 to actuate the worm rack 42 in such a manner as to position the tumbler barrel in any desired angular relation with respect to the horizontal. The plate 37 is provided with a beveled gear 47 which is engaged by a complementary beveled pinion 48 upon the shaft 39 which may be driven in any desirable manner as by a belt pulley 49.

Desirably a number of shipping crates 30. such as are illustrated in Fig. 9, is introduced into the tumbling barrel to completely or sub stantially fill it. As shown in full lines four of such shipping cases have been placed in the tumbling barrel, the ends of the shipping cases projecting a short distance beyond the end of the barrel. The shaft 39 is then actuated to produce a continuous rotation of the cases around an axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cases. After such rotation has been carried on a sufficient length of time, the cases may be removed from the tumbling barrel and re-introduced therein with the axis of the cases extending at right angles to the axis of the barrel, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 10. The tumbling barrel may then be further rotated as above described. By thus rotating the shipping cases in directions of rotation at substantially right angles to each other a thorough and complete mixing of the materials contained in each of the torpedo shells is accomplished, and when this operation is complete the filled shipping cases of torpedoes are ready for sale and shipment.

By reason of the fact that the mixing of the oxidizing and reducing agent is not produced until after the shells have been completely filled, transferred to packages and assembled therein in an enclosing envelope of resilient material, any danger of premature explosion is avoided. Furthermore, when the mixing operation, which is the final operation, has been completed, the packaged and cased boxes of torpedoes are ready for final shipment.

It will be obvious, therefore, that the man.- ufacturing and packaging of torpedoes by the process herein described not only insures safety during the manufacture, but also facilitates the rapidity of commercial production of such articles to a very high degree.

It will be understood that the particular mechanisms for performing the process herein described are of an illustrative character and not restrictive and that various different types of apparatus may be employed to perform the steps of the process herein set forth and claimed.

It Will further be understood that While the invention is particularly described With respect to the manufacture of toy torpedoes, it may be'employed in a similar manner for producing explosives comprising a mixture of chemical agents having explosive affinity for each other when subject to friction.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. The process of safely manufacturing explosives comprising a shell containing oxidizing and reducing materials intimately mixed With frictional material operable upon impact to detonate the same, which comprises loading the oxidizing material, the frictional mate rial, and the reducing material in stratified relation into a rupturable shell, closing said shell, holding a multiplicity of said shells in restraint from impact and so agitating the shells thus held as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells.

2. The process of safely manufacturing explosives comprising a shell containing oxidizing and reducing materials intimately mixed with frictional material operable upon impact to detonate the same, which comprises loading the oxidizing material, the frictional material,and the reducing material in stratified relation into a rupturable shell, with the stratum of frictional material effectively separating the strata of oxidizing material from the strata of reducing material, closing said shell, holding a multiplicity of said shells in restraint from impact, and so agitating the shells thus held as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells.

3. The process of safely manufacturing explosives comprising a shell containing oxidiz ing and reducing materials intimately mixed with a frictional material operable. upon impact to detonate the same, which comprises loading the oxidizing material, the frictional material and the reducing material in stratified relation into a rupturable shell, closing said shell, assembling a plurality of the shells in containers, restraining each of the assembled shells from effective impact, and so agispective shells.

4. The process of safely manufacturing-explosives comprising a shell containing oxidizing and reducing materials intimately mixed With africtional material operable upon impact to detonate the same, which comprises loading the oxidizing material, the frictional material and the reducing material in stratified relation into a rupturable shell, closing said shell, assembling a plurality of the shells in containers, restraining each of the assem= bled shells from effective impact, assembling a plurality of containers and so agitating the containers as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells.

' 5. The process of safely manufacturingtoy torpedoes which comprises loading oxidizing material, reducing material and frictional material in stratified relation into a rupturable shell, packaging a plurality of said shells each enveloped in resilient material in packages for sale or shipment and thereafter so agitating the packages as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells.

6. The process of safely manufacturing toy torpedoes which comprises loading oxidizing material, reducing material and frictional material in stratified relation into arupturable shell, closing the latter packing a mul tiplicity of said shells into cartons with resilient material enveloping each shell operable to restrain it from effective impact, and so agitating said cartons as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells. 7. The process of safely manufacturing toy torpedoes which comprises loading oxidizing material, reducing material and frictional material in stratified relation into a rupturable shell, closing the latter, packing a multiplicity of said shells into cartons with resilient material enveloping each shell operable to restrain it from effective impact, enclosing a number of said cartons in' a shipping case, and so agitating said shipping case as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells 8. The process of safely manufacturing toy torpedoes which comprises loading oxidizing material, reducing material and fric- "tlonal material in stratified relation into a 'rupt-urable shell, closing the latter, packing a multiplicity of said shells in cartons with resilient material enveloping each shell operable to restrain it from effective impact, e11- closing a number of said cartons in a shipping case, assembling a plurality of shipping cases, and simultaneously agitating'the same in such a manner as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells.

9. The process of safely manufacturing toy torpedoes which comprises simultaneously loading into a multiplicity of rupturable shells in succession strata of oxidizing material, gravel and reducing material, closing said shells, simultaneously introducing the loaded shells respectively into individual compartments of a set of cellular compartments of a carton suitable for retail sale, enveloping the individual shells in resilient material to fill said compartments, successively superimposing other sets of cellular compartments upon the filled set and similarly filling each set with shells enveloped in resilient material to fill the carton, closing said carton, and so rotating the carton as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells.

10. The process of safely manufacturing toy torpedoes which comprises simultaneously loading into a multiplicity of rupturable shells in succession strata of oxidizing material, gravel and reducing material, closing said shells, simultaneously introducing the loaded shells respectively into individual compartments of a set of cellular compartments of a carton suitable for retail sale, enveloping the individual shells in resilient material to fill said compartments, successively superimposing other sets of cellular compartments upon the filled set and similarly filling each set with shells enveloped in resilient material to fill the carton, closing said carton, enclosing a number of said cartons in a shipping case, and so rotating the shipping case as to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in the respective shells.

11. The process of safely manufacturing toy torpedoes which comprises simultaneously loading into a multiplicity of rupturable shells in succession strata of oxidizing material, gravel and reducing material, closing said shells, simultaneously introducing the loaded shells respectively into individual compartments of a set of cellular compartments of a carton suitable for retail sale, enveloping the individual shells in resilient material to fill said compartments, successively superimposing other sets of cellular compartments upon the filled set and similarly filling each set with shells enveloped in resilient material to fill the carton, closing said carton, enclosing a number of said cartons in a shipping case, assembling a plurality of shipping cases in axial parallelism inclined to the horizontal, rotating the same about a common axis, transferring said cases to positions substantially perpendicular to the first position of rotation, and again rotating the same to cause intimate mixing of the materials contained in therespective shells.

12. The process of safely manufacturing and packaging explosives comprising two or more chemical materials having explosive afiinity for each other when subjected to the 

